This invention relates generally to a network for introducing individuals or other entities to each other, and more particularly to a social introduction network that relies on a third person to make introductions between strangers.
A variety of systems are known for introducing individuals to each other. Introductions effected by agencies suffer from several drawbacks. Strangers have no way of assessing an introductory situation prior to actually meeting, and it is quite common for either or both individuals to be unreceptive to the process because they have limited input in arranging their introduction. Users of such services often also have no control over who will be the recipient of their names, addresses, or telephone numbers with the additional inherent danger that such information can be easily circulated to others.
Bars and clubs can overcome some of the problems by initially allowing strangers to remain anonymous. Although immediate contacts are available, strangers have no prior information about each other and there is the problem of xe2x80x9cice-breaking,xe2x80x9d that is finding a suitable basis and the privacy to introduce oneself to a total stranger. The only evidence that a xe2x80x9cmatchxe2x80x9d is possible is the presence of both persons at the same place and time.
Several technological solutions have been introduced to navigate around these problems. Philips Corporate Design in a web magazine, xe2x80x9cVision of the Future,xe2x80x9d describes wearable devices (called xe2x80x9cHot Badgesxe2x80x9d) that store private interests. The devices continuously broadcast and receive these private interests using short-range radio frequency (RF) signals. When two badges come within close proximity of each other, the stored interests are exchanged via RF and compared in order to ascertain the amount of shared interests between the two individuals. When the two badges detect common interests, they signal the users to this fact, with the end goal being the facilitation of a social introduction between individuals with similar interests.
Borovoy et al., in xe2x80x9cThings that blink: Computationally augmented name tags,xe2x80x9d IBM Systems Journal, vol. 35, no. 3-4, pp. 488-495 1996, describe digitally-enhanced name tags that store answers to multiple choice questions on a particular topic. The amount of similarity or dissimilarity in the answers is displayed when two users wearing the tags face each other. Like the Hot Badges mentioned above, the enhanced name tags seek to provide individuals with a very rough indication of how much two individuals have in common.
Borovoy et al. in xe2x80x9cMeme Tags and Community Mirrors: Moving from Conference to Collaboration,xe2x80x9d CSCW 98, 159-168, 1998 describe wearable tags (similar to the aforementioned name tags) that store and exchange xe2x80x9cmemes,xe2x80x9d or short sayings. When two meme tags face each other, a saying stored on each tag is displayed and the users can acquire the meme on the other tag. While previously mentioned systems have focused on comparing categorized interests between two people, Meme Tags allow users to collect and swap arbitrary phrases to both portray themselves and learn about others.
Weilenmann et al., in xe2x80x9cHummingbirds Go Skiing: Using Wearable Computers to Support Social Interaction,xe2x80x9d Digest of Papers, 3rd International Symposium on Wearable Computers, 191-192, October 1999, describe a portable, wireless RF-based device that provides awareness of other like devices nearby through sound and a visual display. When another device is detected, the device emits a noise, and the name of the other user of the other device is displayed.
The Lovegety(trademark) is a device that stores simple user interests, and then notifies the user when a device with similar interests is nearby. The device comes in xe2x80x9cmalexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cfemalexe2x80x9d version so only devices of opposite xe2x80x9cgenderxe2x80x9d recognize each other. The device uses RF technology to continuously broadcast and receive data. Gaydar(trademark) is a similar device intended for gay users.
Friend.Link(trademark) is a portable messaging device that transmits messages via RF signals. Like some of the above described devices, this device stores, exchanges, and compares user-entered interests. However, this device can also send messages to specific devices, a feature not found in the devices described above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,016xe2x80x94Interprivate-introduction signaling system, U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,744xe2x80x94Method and portable apparatus for comparison of stored sets of data, U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,394xe2x80x94Introduction system for locating compatible persons, U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,845xe2x80x94Date matching methods, U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,200xe2x80x94Method and apparatus for detection of reciprocal interests or feelings and subsequent notification, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,020,810xe2x80x94Automatic electronic date/mate finder and method of electronically finding a date/mate all describe portable devices or computer systems that serve to facilitate the introduction of two people with similar interests. The device described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,200 distinguishes itself amongst this group by attempting to protect the confidentiality of the users by only signaling two people after they have both indicated interest in each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,051 Wireless mobile communication devices for group use describes a data exchange mechanism for wireless mobile communication devices. U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,630xe2x80x94High precision spatially defined data transfer system describes wireless data transfer between portable electronic devices. U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,665xe2x80x94Recording and retrieval of information relevant to the activities of a user describes a device that records events relevant to a user.
Sixdegrees Inc provides an Internet based system that allow strangers sharing a common interest to meet through their social network.
Most of the above described devices operate on the basis of common interests. Furthermore, the devices do not usually provide the opportunity for an individual to make the decision of whether or not an introduction between the two strangers is worthwhile. The devices simply make a comparison of interests, and if there is a match of interests, the users are signaled. The problems with such devices are that the lists of interests are likely to be a crude and an imprecise characterization of the person, the backgrounds, habits, and lifestyles of the two users are not considered, and there is no opportunity for a human to intervene and decide whether an introduction is appropriate.
Therefore, there is a need for a social communications network system that allows for the introduction of individuals or other entities on the basis of a shared network location, without having to know what that location of the location is.
The invention provides a computerized method for identifying entities accessing locations in a communications network. A unique identification is associated with a private identification for each entity accessing the network. A known list is maintained for each entity. Each entry in the known list for a particular entity includes the unique identification and private identification of other entities known to the particular entity.
A location list is maintained. Each entry in the location list includes a plurality of unique identifications of other entities having shared a common location in the network. A message is generated only if at least two unique identifications of a particular entry of the location list are identical to at least two unique identifications found in the known list of the particular entity. The message includes the associated private identifications of the at least two identical unique identifications.
In one aspect, the communications network is local and mobile, and network locations are physical, and in another aspect, the communications network is wide area, and the network locations are virtual.